Chance Encounter
by SnowKoyuki13
Summary: Toshiro Hitsugaya loses his key and is locked out of his apartment with no other means of getting in. A chance encounter with Momo Hinamori provides a remedy to the situation. Based on "Locked Out" from my story "20 Meetings."
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys! Toshiro and Momo both live alone, and there's no age difference in this situation. Enjoy!**

"Damn it!" Toshiro said under his breath, kicking the door to his apartment. He shook the door knob again, but nothing happened. For some reason his key had gone missing, and the landlord was out, so there was no way for him to get another. Toshiro found it useless and sat down in front of it, wondering if he should go out and do something else.

"Are you waiting for somebody?"

He looked over and saw a girl with two large grocery bags looking at him curiously. "No, I'm locked out."

She smiled. "If you want, you could come and wait in my apartment. My name is Momo, by the way."

Momo looked friendly enough, so Toshiro accepted. "What floor is your apartment on?"

"Two floors up. I prefer to take the stairs." Momo stumbled for a second, nearly dropping one of the paper sacks. Without missing a beat, Toshiro reached out and grabbed it.

"Woah! Thank you so much!" She extended her arm in order to take the bag back, but Toshiro held onto it.

"I'll carry it for you; it's the least I can do for imposing." The bag seemed a bit heavy, but he resisted the urge to take a peek inside. Toshiro walked slightly behind her on the stairs, just in case she dropped the next one.

One thing, however, was bothering him. "Aren't your parents going to find it weird that some stranger is carrying your groceries for you?"

"No," She explained, as though it was something she did every day. "They're used to me bringing home strangers on a regular basis."

"I see," Toshiro deadpanned.

"Have a sense of humor- I was being sarcastic," Momo rolled her eyes, then returned to his question. "What's your name?" Momo asked him, seeming to avoid the original question.

"Toshiro Hitsugaya."

She twisted her neck back slightly to smile at him. "Well, we're not strangers any more, are we?"

"I guess so."

The two walked in silence the rest of the way down the hall. Momo bent down to set the grocery bag on the floor so she could unlock her front door, but Toshiro insisted that he hold it for her. She turned the key and allowed him to shuffle inside.

The apartment was one of the larger ones. In the main living area was a small table, a couch, and a television on the wall. There were three doors; two which lead to separate bedrooms, another to a bathroom, and a sliding glass door onto a decent-sized balcony.

Toshiro put the bags on the counter. "Make yourself at home," Momo instructed, removing her jacket and draping it over the couch's arm. "I'll be back in a second, feel free to turn on the T.V." She then disappeared into one of the rooms.

Toshiro picked up the remote and began to channel surf. He finally settled on a documentary about penguins. It was currently explaining how the fathers of emperor penguins kept their eggs warm.

"Toshiro! I realized that I forgot something very important at the store; I'll be back soon, just wait here, okay?" Momo exclaimed as she entered the living room.

"Okay… What should I do if your parents come back?" Toshiro asked. It was clear that Momo was a high-school student at the same school as him. She had been wearing one of the waterproof wristbands given to them at the end of the school year.

Momo hesitated before assuring him, "I don't live with my parents. Oh, but my room-mate may be back soon, though!" She then exited quickly, leaving the door unlocked.

After sitting for a while, Toshiro felt his cell phone buzz. "Hello?"

"Hitsugaya?" It was the man who owned the apartment building. "You called earlier?"

"Yeah, see, when you get back tonight-" Toshiro started, prepared to ask him for the spare key Toshiro knew he must have.

"Oh, didn't you get the message? I won't be back for 3 more days! What was it you wanted to ask me, again?"

"Nothing." And with that, Toshiro slid his cell phone closed and groaned in frustration.

"_Ugh, what am I going to do for three days! My grandmother's retirement home doesn't allow overnight stays, and my parents wouldn't want me to stay with them… crap!" _He sat for a while, thinking about what he could do or where he would stay.

"Momo-chan, I'm baaack!" Came a cheery voice, followed by a loud slam. "Huh? Who's this? Did you dye your hair?" The tall, orange-haired woman walked over and started playing with his hair. "Really, Momo, I don't think this color and style is for you…"

Her hand was slapped away by a rather angry Toshiro, who practically shouted, "SHUT UP! I'm not Momo!"

The woman sat down next to him on the couch, confused. "Then who are you?"

"Toshiro Hitsugaya. Who the hell are you?"

"Rangiku Matsumoto… Oh! I see, you must be Momo's boyfriend!" She exclaimed as she took his hands in hers. "Just remember, she likes-"

Momo walked in, this time with a small bag and a smile. "Rangiku! I see you met Toshiro!"

"Yes, I did! Well, I'll just leave you two lovebirds be!" Rangiku winked at Momo, then ran into her bedroom.

Momo sat down next to Toshiro and asked, "What was that about?"

"Nothing; she must be crazy. How can you stand living with her? I just met her and I already want to shoot myself…" Toshiro looked at Momo, which is when he realized something.

"Wait, what the hell am I doing here! You would just let some random freak in the hallway into your apartment?"

"Are you calling yourself a freak?" Momo giggled. "I don't know, Hitsugaya-kun, there was something about you that told me you were okay."

In that moment, Toshiro felt something in his stomach, but he had no idea what it was.

**This was the chapter that was in 20 Meetings! Hope you liked it. Check out some of my other stories if you have time!**

**~SnowKoyuki13**


	2. Chapter 2

When Toshiro didn't respond, Momo turned her body and started watching the documentary. "Hmm…" She hummed, getting Toshiro's attention.

"What?" He asked.

"You just don't seem like the kind of person who would like penguins enough to watch a two-hour long movie about them," Momo pointed out. He honestly didn't, but who knows, maybe Toshiro had a soft side. _"Like a watermelon… Hard on the outside but soft on the inside? Mmm, watermelon."_ She thought, easily side-tracked.

Toshiro passed her the remote and told her, "You can change it if you want." She clicked the T.V off and asked, "So when are you going to get back into your apartment? Urahara-san should be back soon, right?"

"So you didn't get the message either; he'll be gone for three more days," Toshiro explained as he began to doubt if there even was a message from the crazy man in the first place. He watched as Momo's eyes widened.

"But there must be somebody else who has a key! Won't your parents be back soon, as well?" She may not live with her parents, but Momo at least knew if she ever got locked out that Rangiku would be back eventually to help her.

"I don't live with my parents. I would stay with my grandmother, but she lives in a retirement home that doesn't allow visitors to stay the night."

"Any of your friends willing to let you stay with them?" Momo suggested.

"Most of them are out of town, but I suppose I could call the few who are still here," Toshiro pulled out his cell phone and excused himself to the balcony, where he remained for a while. Momo could tell by his body language that the responses he was getting were not good.

He came back inside and flopped down on the couch. "I can't stay with them… Argh, I don't have enough money to go to a hotel for even 3 days."

"Oh! You could stay with us then! I'm sure that Rangiku wouldn't mind!" Momo suggested smiling.

"_How can she say that? I'm a stranger she met less than a few hours ago… is she really that nonchalant about things like this?" _Toshiro thought, questioning Momo's sanity.

"Are you sure? Where would I sleep?" He asked.

"Hmm…" Momo thought for a second, then exclaimed, "I know! You can sleep in my room! I can always just sleep in Rangiku's room."

"I wouldn't want to impose," He insisted. "Besides, you hardly know me."

Momo shook her head, "Well I wouldn't know anybody if I didn't take the time to get to know them. Besides, Hitsugaya-kun, you have nowhere else to go." He was silent for a second, so Momo took this as him agreeing. She stood and began walking to Rangiku's room. "I should probably ask her first, though."

Toshiro nodded and relaxed back onto the couch as he began to plan for the next few days. _"Need to go out and buy a toothbrush…maybe just two shirts and pants, I needed to get some more anyways," _He thought, making a list in his mind.

Rangiku was sitting on her bed with her laptop, most likely on FaceBook, when Momo popped in and sat in her desk chair. "I have something to ask you!" she exclaimed, causing Rangiku to look up from the computer and pay attention.

"What is it?"

"If it isn't too much to ask, do you mind of Toshiro could stay here for the next few days? He lost his key, and Urahara-san won't be back for a while, and none of his friends or family are able to take him. I would have to sleep in here, though." Momo asked hopefully.

Rangiku's eyebrows shot up and she laughed. "Sure, of course that's why you want him to stay here!" She teased as she shut her laptop. "Come to think of it, I don't remember you ever telling me how you two met- was it romantic? You look so cute together! But if you're really like that, maybe you _should _sleep in your room also…" The woman began to ramble on, and Momo cocked her head to the side in confusion.

"Huh? Toshiro and I aren't like that!" Momo exclaimed, shaking her head. "I just met him a little bit ago in the hallway because he couldn't get into his apartment!"

Although she was disappointed, Rangiku shrugged and figured she could finally have a chance to hook Momo up with somebody. "Whatever. Sure, I guess you could sleep in here." Being her lazy self, Rangiku decided to add a condition. "But only if you go to the store and pick up some nail polish for me; I ran out!"

Momo agreed to those terms, then left for the store, leaving Toshiro and Rangiku alone. Unfortunately for him, Rangiku actually decided to come out of her room this time.

"Hello! So Momo just informed me that you actually _aren't_ her boyfriend…shame! You guys would look so cute together!" She could see a vein pulsing on his forehead.

"Don't know how I'm going to stand this for three whole days…" He muttered.

"I'll ignore that! But you know, we should get to know each other, huh?"

Toshiro opened his mouth to respond and grimaced as she sat down beside him with a bowl of chips. "You have no problem interrogating strangers?"

She grinned. "Nope, no problem at all! So, are you sad that Momo's giving you her room, but won't be in it with you?"

Toshiro's face began to flush. "Are you kidding me! I just met her a little bit ago!" He tried not to sound too angry; he heard that people that you were lying if you sounded angry.

"Oh?" Rangiku teased. "But you do at least think she's pretty?"

"I told you, I haven't known her for even more than a day, so how would I know such things!" Toshiro exclaimed.

"It doesn't take more than a glance to tell if you think somebody is pretty. But you are also admitting that there is a chance that you will come to know things like that?" Rangiku asked, trying to obtain more information.

Toshiro got up from the couch and went for the door. "Forget it! I'll be back in an hour!"

He passed Momo in the hallway, who was coming back from the store with Rangiku's nail polish.

"Eh? Where are you going?" She asked.

"I'll be back later… and tell Matsumoto to leave me the hell alone!"

**Yay, another story for me to work on! I knew having a one-shot series would somehow pay off! Or help me somehow… Anyways, PLEASE LEAVE ME A REVIEW! By the way, the school year isn't based on the Japanese school system, but the American system…**

**And now for some more news, I'm going on vacation soon, during which time I will probably not have access to a computer, and I won't be back until maybe August 3****rd****? I'm not leaving for another 10 days though, so I'll try to get in another update before I leave.**

**Happy Summer,**

**~SnowKoyuki13**


	3. Chapter 3

**I'm leaving in a few days, so this will be the last update for a while!**

_He passed Momo in the hallway, who was coming back from the store with Rangiku's nail polish._

"_Eh? Where are you going?" She asked._

"_I'll be back later… and tell Matsumoto to leave me the hell alone!"_

Momo reached her apartment and shut the door quietly behind her. She walked over to the couch, where Rangiku was lying lazily, the remote in one hand, but the T.V off.

"Here's your nail polish- I got you teal if you don't mind. They didn't have any of the other shades you like." Momo lied. Well, it wasn't so much a lie- She was sure the store that Rangiku normally went to had her colors, but Momo had opted just to walk down to the corner store and get something there.

Rangiku took the small bag and removed its contents. She examined the bottle for a second before smiling.

"I like this color! You have a really good eye, Momo!" Said girl smiled, and walked off to the kitchen. "Hey Momo, I just realized something!" Rangiku called over to her. "Doesn't this come close to that boy's eyes?" She held it extremely close to her eye, and after very close observation, concluded that the two shades were almost exactly alike.

"Oh? Perhaps he was on your mind then!"

Momo frowned. "I'm sure that's not it! Why would I have been thinking about Toshiro? Besides, why do you know the exact color of his eyes, anyways?"

Rangiku sighed and figured it would be best not to push Momo any further, at least not for the time being. Instead, she sat up and stretched her arms out. "If you want, I can do your nails later tonight. It's the least I can do for making you get it for me."

Momo was so confused; she was under the impression that she had been repaying Rangiku for letting Toshiro stay there by getting it in the first place. "But I thought…"

"No, I just didn't want to have to go all the way there."

It was Momo's turn to sigh, as she had fallen victim to one of Rangiku's schemes yet again. (But there was only one that she was aware of xD) For a little bit, their apartment was silent aside from that little bit of noise you always hear even when nobody's doing _anything._

Finally, Rangiku broke the silence by asking, "So, do you think Hitsugaya is cute?"

Momo, who had been in the middle of mixing several things together in a bowl to make cookies, was surprised by the sudden noise. She jolted and accidentally flung some dough out of the bowl, which then became stuck to the ceiling.

The girl looked up at it curiously. "Now I have to get it down… maybe it'll come down by itself after a while." She resumed stirring.

Rangiku pouted, flipping over on the couch so she was on her stomach. "Don't avoid the question! Do you think that Hitsugaya is cute?"

"I don't know… I barely know him, Rangiku!" Momo exclaimed.

"Odd, he said the exact same thing," Rangiku pointed out. She then sighed contentedly. "I knew when I first saw you together that you were perfect for one another!"

"Drop it, or you can't have any cookies!" Momo was currently scooping the dough into little balls on a baking sheet. Her threat was enough to make Rangiku shut up and turn on the television to a cartoon, where a cat and a mouse were chasing each other.

After putting the cookies into the oven and setting the timer to go off at 4:29, 16 minutes from the current time, Momo walked over to a closet. She pulled out one of those folding ladders, although it didn't need to be extended to full height in order to reach the ceiling. Momo set it up and grabbed a spatula, just in case the cookie dough was hard to get off.

"Be careful, Momo. My cars in the shop and I don't want to have to get a cab to take you to the hospital." Rangiku's advice may have made her sound stuck up, but it was her way of caring.

Momo rolled her eyes. "I can handle climbing a ladder; I'm not a little kid." She started going up as the door creaked open.

There was Toshiro with a shopping bag in his hand. "I'm back." The way the layout of the apartment was, Toshiro would have to take a few steps before being able to see what Momo was doing. (A/N- The main living area and kitchen aren't separated by a wall, but with a counter, and there's a tiny little hallway when you first walk in before you hit the entrance to the kitchen on the side.) He groaned when he didn't see Momo. "Don't tell me she went out again…" If she had, Toshiro was going to say he forgot something in order to avoid being alone with Rangiku.

"She's in the kitchen, why don't you go help her?" Rangiku suggested, pointing. Toshiro shrugged and went in.

"I told you I can do it by myself!" Momo argued, scratching at the slightly hardened blob.

Toshiro sighed, approached the ladder, and shook his head. "How did you manage to get that up there?" He waved his hand; it would probably be best if he didn't know. However, Momo began to respond anyways.

"Well, I was just surprised and I-" Momo cut herself short as the ladder began to capsize and she was falling. But it wasn't the hard floor she had hit, it was something just a bit softer.

Of course, it was none other than Toshiro. Momo was lying across his legs, but was still kind of in a sitting position; He had tried to catch her, but the speed of her fall had knocked them to the ground.

"Hitsugaya-kun…" Momo looked up at his eyes, blushing. "Oh! I'm so sorry for falling on you!" She moved off of him to the side and stood, offering a hand to help him up.

"You idiot! Did you lock the sides before you got on the ladder?" Toshiro asked, taking her hand, keeping his eyes down to stare at the ladder.

Momo's eyes widened. "No! I didn't know that I had to do that!"

"Idiot!" Toshiro repeated, glancing up at the ceiling. He put the ladder upright again, this time locking the sides before taking the spatula from Momo and prying the remains off.

"_Rangiku was right, the nail polish did match his eyes. And what's this, my heart is beating faster?" _Momo thought to herself. _"Of course it's only because I was scared from falling!"_

Toshiro was having a similar reaction, but was doing a better job at hiding it. He folded the ladder back up and returned it to its original place. "Are you always this forgetful? You know you could have gotten hurt if I hadn't been there!"

"Nobody told you to be there! I would have been fine."

"As I remember, it was _you _who insisted I stay here in the first place!"

Rangiku had been watching this entire time, but this was when she decided to jump in. "Even though you say you haven't known each other for long, you act as though you have. Strangers don't yell at each other the way you two do."

Momo and Toshiro looked at her, then each other. "You think so?" They asked in unison.

"Whatever. Momo, the cookies are done... if you don't take them out soon they'll start to burn." Rangiku then walked into her room with the nail polish, and Momo knew that when it came to painting her nails, it would take Rangiku multiple times before she got it 'just right.'

Momo put on an oven mitt and pulled the baking sheet out of the oven. She left them on the stove to cool for a little bit before taking a different spatula to get them onto a plate.

Her and Toshiro sat on the couch, and they each took a cookie silently.

"Sorry I fell on you, Toshiro."

"You deserved it."

Momo lightly punched him in the arm, before becoming energized again. "Do you want to play Jenga? It's really fun!"

Toshiro wasn't really one for games, but when he saw her smiling it was too hard to say no. "Fine. Let's set up on the floor."

_After many towers have fallen…_

Toshiro pulled out a wood block expertly and placed it back on top. "Go."

Momo reached in and grabbed one, sliding it out carefully until it was in her hand. "Yay!" She exclaimed, reaching up to place it next to the one Toshiro had just put down. But the second she did so, everything fell.

"Grr, how did you get so good at this game?"

Toshiro shrugged. "Maybe I'm not good at it, perhaps you're just bad."

"Well, I'm going to bed now. I'll see you in the morning." Momo got up to leave, for they had decided that winner would clean up. "Oh, if you get hungry at night feel free to help yourself to anything in the cabinet."

"'Kay."

Momo went into Rangiku's room and shut the door behind her, and as soon as Toshiro finished cleaning, he went to bed as well.

_Sometime around 1 in the morning…_

"_Hm, I'm hungry. Maybe I'll go have some veggie straws…" _Momo stood up and groggily walked to the kitchen, taking the bag out and sitting at the counter to eat some of the salty 'straws.'

After eating for five minutes, Momo was full enough to go back to sleep, so she walked back to her room, got into bed, and slept straight through the rest of the night.

**So, what did you think? I hope you caught what Momo really did here at the end, cuz I made it pretty obvious… It's not like I tried to hide it in the first place. Well, more HitsuHina stuff the next chapter. I always write before bed, so there will probably be a chapter as soon as I get backs. By the way, I have fallen off one of those foldable ladders before :( Not a pleasant experience.**

**I like pasta!**

**~SnowKoyuki13**


	4. Chapter 4

"GYAH!" Toshiro screamed, rolling off the side of the bed and onto the floor with a loud thud.

"What the hell are you doing in here!" Toshiro shouted, probably waking half the apartment building in the few seconds it took him to utter those words.

Momo glanced around, then frowned down at him. "Well, it's my room isn't it!"

_

* * *

A Few Minutes Earlier..._

Momo scooted closer to the source of warmth, still half asleep with her eyes closed. She assumed it was just a blanket and drifted back into a deeper sleep.

Toshiro, meanwhile, had just woken up and was facing the wall. He rolled over and yawned as he opened his eyes. In front of him was a sleeping Momo, curled up into a little ball. She seemed content while unconscious.

_"Hmm, she's cute when she's sleeping..." _Toshiro thought, taking a few seconds to realize that Momo was actually in his bed. _"WHAT!"_

_

* * *

Present Time_

"You told me I could sleep in here and that you would be sleeping in her room!" Toshiro pointed accusingly at the door, where a very sneaky Rangiku had been hiding ever since she realized that Momo was no longer in her room. Realizing that she had been caught, Rangiku began to inch away until the door was shut.

"Well I was too tired to realize what I was doing! How long were you watching me sleep anyways, you pervert!" Momo shouted, ducking her face under the covers.

Toshiro began to turn red, partially out of irritation and partly out of embarrassment. "For like one second before I had a heart attack! You come into MY bed and I'M the pervert?"

"It's not your bed!" Momo told him, voice muffled by the covers.

He sighed and stood back up, smoothing his shorts and t-shirt. "Whatever, it doesn't matter. Just get out now," Toshiro ordered, pointing towards the door once again. He then crossed his arms over his chest, waiting.

Momo, however, resisted. "No. It's my room, and this is my bed, so I am going to stay in it." She had moved so her body was under the warm sheets, but her head was now sticking out of the top. It appeared to Momo that she had won.

Toshiro wouldn't have it, though. He threw the covers off of her, picked her up bridal-style, and began going for the exit.

"Wh- what are you doing? Put me down NOW!" Momo began shaking her body in an attempt to escape, but Toshiro kept his grip tight around her, barely loosening it as he opened the door.

"Be quiet, would you?"

The girl was about to say something back to him as she looked up and saw his eyes. He looked down at her also, and for a second, it seemed like he wasn't going to put her down. Or maybe Momo wished that Toshiro wouldn't put her down. Either way, those hunches would be wrong.

Less than a second later, Momo was dropped onto the couch, and she watched in irritation as Toshiro walked back into _her _room and slammed the door.

"What a jerk! I can't believe I thought he was nice! I can't believe I have to live with that until Wednesday! And I was already upset because it's a Monday," Momo ranted to herself, unaware of her room mate behind her.

"So, you _did _think he was nice?" Rangiku asked her teasingly.

"Thought. Past tense!" She shouted.

Toshiro listened from the other side of the wall. For some reason, it really upset him that Momo was angry with him. _"Perhaps infuriated would be a better word for it," _Toshiro thought, shrugging as he waited for the proper time to leave the room.

Five minutes later, he was dressed and ready, not to mention hungry. He stuck his head out first, glancing around for signs of an angry Momo. When the coast appeared to be clear, the rest of Toshiro's body followed as he checked his wallet for money to buy breakfast.

Even though Toshiro had been very careful to make sure that Momo wasn't in sight, he didn't notice the pancakes on the stove, nor a soft mumbling.

"Found it!" Momo exclaimed, popping up from behind the counter holding up the spatula she had used the day before to get cookie dough off the ceiling.

Toshiro jumped, bumping his arm on the wall in the process. He never thought that Momo would have been kneeling behind the counter. She noticed him, then went to flip the pancakes.

"I'm going out to get something to eat, I'll be back later," Toshiro told her, moving again.

Momo frowned. "You don't want pancakes? I put the syrup into the batter!" She seemed sad that he wouldn't want to eat her food.

"I thought you were mad at me?" He questioned, remembering her yelling just minutes before.

She checked the pancakes as she responded, "These are 'I'm sorry' pancakes! Sorry for yelling at you, Hitsugaya-kun. It really wasn't your fault." Momo took the four off of the pan and put them onto a plate. "Help yourself."

Toshiro suspiciously made his way to the counter, picked up one of the pancakes, and bit off a piece. "Thanks."

"No problem."

There was a short silence before Toshiro asked. "Where is she?"

Knowing that he meant Rangiku, Momo sighed and told him that she had gone out with some friends; they had spontaneously decided to take a short road trip.

"She won't be here tonight, but she should be back by tomorrow afternoon."

"_So we'll be alone, huh…" _Toshiro mused, taking another bite of his pancake.

And the room settled into another awkward silence.

"Hey, Hitsugaya-kun? Do you want to go out for dinner tonight?" Momo asked as she ran water onto the frying pan.

Toshiro stared up in surprise. "W-Why?" He tried hard not to sound as surprised as he probably looked.

"I don't know, because I really don't feel like cooking tonight, and the fast-food places nearby are all really greasy," Momo told him. "And I hate eating by myself, especially at a sit-down restaurant."

"Oh, okay. Sure, I'll go out with you." Toshiro realized what he had said. "Out to dinner with you…"

Momo grinned. "Thank you! And it's on me, by the way." She still felt as though she had to make up for yelling at him, and he had also helped her yesterday when she fell.

"No, I'll pay." Toshiro didn't want to inconvenience her anymore than he already had.

"No, I will!"

"I'll do it."

"No, you won't!"

Toshiro sighed. "Isn't it amazing how we go from friendly, to fighting, back to friendly, then we start fighting all over again? I've already been in, what, three fights with you in the past 24 hours."

Momo knew this was his way of saying 'I'm changing the subject because I'm going to do what I want.' Which meant it was Toshiro who would be paying for dinner.

"Do you have any plans for today, Hitsugaya-kun?" Momo asked, grabbing a pancake and walking past him to the couch.

"No, why?"

"I was just wondering." Momo turned on the T.V, and the two of them watched a movie and two shows until Momo looked at him and complained, "I'm bored!"

"So what do you want me to do about it?"

Momo thought for a second, then brightened as she ran over to a fat envelope on the counter. "I know they're in here somewhere…" She muttered, pulling it several small papers.

"What are those?" Toshiro asked.

"Coupons… I had one for two free rounds of bowling, for two people! I already used the first one with Izuru, but there should be one left…" She went back to looking for them until she pulled out a piece of thick paper shaped like a bowling pin.

"So what do you say? Do you want to go bowling?"

"Fine."

**This was all I was able to write on vacation… At least for this story, because I worked on this one last. I would have made it longer, but I just didn't feel like it. Anyways, how was it? Next chapter will be a bit… more romantic :D Please review, and check out my other stories if you haven't already!**

**~SnowKoyuki13**


	5. Chapter 5

"Don't you have a car?" Toshiro asked as they began walking towards the bowling alley, a couple of blocks away.

Momo frowned at him. "Well, do you?"

He sighed, knowing that she had a point. "No."

The two walked in silence for a little while, until they reached a stoplight. They had been standing there for a while watching cars pass, but the light was still red and there was nobody coming from either direction.

"What do you say we run for it?" Momo suggested, getting tired of waiting.

Toshiro shook his head. "No way. You can't see a car coming over that hill until it's almost at the light. I don't want to risk it."

Momo pouted and crossed her arms over her chest. "Fine, you can wait here forever and I'll go across myself." With that said, Momo began to sprint across the crosswalk.

"Hinamori!"

There was a red truck coming over the hill, as Toshiro had predicted, and Momo was directly in front of it. He dashed out into the crosswalk and pushed her out of the way. The truck honked out of irritation as it passed by.

Momo and Toshiro were lying on the sidewalk, him on top of her.

"Are you alright?" He asked her, his face close to hers.

Momo nodded as she blushed. "I-I'm fine. What about you?"

"I'm okay."

They were lying there for a couple more seconds, both listening to the breath of the other, until somebody standing in front of the nearby café interrupted.

"Momo-chan!"

Toshiro jumped up and reached down to help Momo stand, but she ignored his helping hand and ran over to the blonde guy. She gave him a hug, and he smiled for a second, before casting a cold glare in Toshiro's direction.

"Who is this?" Izuru asked.

Momo side-stepped over next to Toshiro. "This is Hitsugaya Toshiro. He's staying with me until Urahara-san comes back to unlock his apartment. We're going to go bowling right now!" Momo exclaimed, obviously seeing nothing wrong with this. "Hitsugaya-kun, this is Kira Izuru, one of my best friends in the whole world!"

Izuru's face went dark. "Momo-chan, can I talk to you for a second?" She nodded and followed him over to a potted plant by the entrance to the coffee house. Toshiro watched as Izuru appeared tense, and Momo maintained her usual happy expression. It gradually faded, and then developed into anger.

"Come on, Hitsugaya-kun, let's go." Momo grabbed him by the wrist and pulled a very confused Toshiro down the street.

He remained silent for a while, mostly because he was shocked by the anger in her voice. But after passing a stoplight, Momo released his arm and sighed.

"What happened?"

_

* * *

Flashback_

"_What are you doing hanging around with some other guy? And letting him stay in your _apartment?"_ Izuru asked accusingly, frowning down at the girl. It annoyed him that she seemed so at ease with somebody she had just met, and was already taking him out to do things. _"It took me months…" _Izuru thought, feeling jealous._

_Momo laughed. "He couldn't get into his apartment so I let him stay with me! I couldn't just kick him out on the street! Then this morning we got bored so we decided to go bowling with this coupon I have. What's wrong?"_

_He sighed. Momo could be so clueless sometimes. "Well, I was kind of under the impression that we were going out."_

_Her good-natured giggle came to a halt. "What?"_

"_Don't you remember when I said to you the other day, 'Momo, do you wanna go out?' and you said yes?"_

"_Yeah, because you asked me to go bowling! I thought you meant out to go bowling!" Momo retorted, placing her hands on her hips._

_Izuru was embarrassed about the misunderstanding, but he tried to keep it hidden. "Even so, you shouldn't be doing things with another guy!"_

"_I've done nothing wrong!" Momo left it at that as she turned to get Toshiro._

* * *

Present Time

"Uh, okay." Toshiro honestly didn't know what else to say. He wasn't good at giving advice and it wasn't like he had made the situation any better.

Momo didn't respond as she led him down the street to the bowling alley, where they used the coupon, rented shoes, and picked the proper weight bowling balls.

"Have you ever bowled before?" Momo asked the white-haired teen as she put on the ratty bowling shoes.

He nodded. "A couple of times before. How about you?"

Momo smiled. "I've only been bowling once before, so… let's just say it would be very fortunate if I made it over 70."

"Wow, you really are bad." Toshiro said mercilessly, challenging her with his eyes.

"Fine then," Momo huffed as an ingenious thought popped into her mind. "What do you say we make a bet? Loser buys fries for us after we finish." She may not be the best at bowling, but having an incentive would give her more motivation.

Toshiro smirked, knowing that it would be an easy win for him. "Sure, it's your money."

Momo picked up a ball, ten pounds lighter than the one that Toshiro was using. She gave it a quick kiss for luck, then sent it flying down the lane. As it made contact, 7 pins fell over, leaving three standing next to each other. She knocked them over with her next shot, picking up a spare.

Toshiro went, knocking down all ten with his first shot. As he returned to his seat, Momo glared at him.

It was the end of their second round, and they were adding up both scores to see who had been the overall winner.

"I won!" Momo shrieked, jumping up as soon as she finished the math. "I beat you, Shiro-chan! I beat you!" She did a happy dance, gathering a few thumbs-ups from passersby and a couple of disapproving stares.

"What the hell is a 'Shiro-chan?'" Toshiro asked, his eyes narrowing.

Momo bent down to be at his level, for he was still sitting. "You. You're a Shiro-chan, Shiro-chan. That's my new nickname for you, since you lost."

"No way! That was _not _part of the bet. I'll buy you fries, but you can't call me that!" Toshiro shouted at her, giving Momo exactly what she wanted; his irritation.

She tapped on her chin in thought. "I suppose I would be willing to stop if you got us a large fries instead of a medium."

"Whatever, just stop it!" He took her over to the snack bar and stood in the back of the long line. Momo noticed a couple kissing up by the counter.

"Wow, what do you think is going on?" Momo asked her friend. Those public displays of affection often annoyed her; it was so immodest. And everybody knew, of course, that Momo was a very modest person.

"Dunno."

After a little while, they reached the front, and Toshiro set his money down in front of the cashier. "Large fries, please." Toshiro may not say please that often, but it was common courtesy to say it in restaurants. Especially because they could spit in your food.

The woman behind the counter smiled. "If you find somebody to kiss, it's free." She pointed to the sign behind her.

"_What the? What kind of bowling alley is this? But fries are expensive… maybe it would be worth it." _Toshiro was thinking, turning to Momo, who was blushing.

"What is it, Hitsugaya-kun?" Momo asked, reverting back to his old name. "Do you really want to do that?"

"I don't know, Hinamori." He was hesitant. _"Maybe I should just pay for the fries."_

The people in line behind them started chanting 'Kiss, kiss, kiss, kiss!' While others were just shouting 'hurry the hell up so we can get our food.'

Momo was surprised that people actually wanted to see that, and even more surprised as Toshiro pulled her into a kiss. It was really light, barely there, but Momo somehow managed to get her arms behind his neck. She could feel Toshiro start pulling back as she did.

They broke apart, and the woman handed Toshiro his money back and gave them their French fries. Momo picked them up and walked back quietly with Toshiro to an empty table.

She began to eat, trying not to make conversation. Every time Toshiro tried to talk to Momo, she would point to her cheeks to indicate that there was lots of food in her mouth.

However, this strategy would only work as long as there was food to eat, and at the rate that Momo was consuming it, there wouldn't be any more food in the next few minutes. Toshiro took a fry one at a time, patiently waiting until the container was empty.

He reached for the last one and stuffed it into his mouth, watching the look on Momo's face. She still had a mouthful, and went to chewing it slowly. Toshiro sighed, then slammed his hand down on the table, the loud noise causing her to swallow in surprise. (A/N- Am I the only one who does this?)

"Hinamori, are you alright?" Toshiro asked, noticing her looking away.

Momo nodded. "I'm fine…Hitsugaya-kun, why would you…?" She didn't have to finish the question for him to know what she was talking about. She fiddled with her fingers in her lap.

Toshiro sighed. "I don't know, but I apologize if I made you uncomfortable." This was the first apology he had said in a long, looooong time, so he hoped that Momo would take it.

"Well, the thing is… I suppose it was kind of…nice?" The last half came out as a question, and the word 'nice' came out as a whisper. Momo's face was beet red, and she refused to meet Toshiro's eyes. _"What are you saying, Hinamori?" _She mentally scolded herself, even using her last name to address herself. _"You just met this guy yesterday, and you already… But I guess there's always that whole 'love at first sight' concept… but I really didn't feel like I loved him when I first saw him, and-" _Her jumbled-up thoughts were interrupted by the sound of Toshiro's voice.

"I was thinking the same thing." Toshiro responded. His reply was so surprising that Momo inadvertently looked up and looked into his eyes.

"I- I don't know, Hitsugaya-kun. I mean, we only met yesterday…"

"Why does that matter?"

"Because," Momo began, searching her mind for a good reason. "Because we really don't know anything about each other, if you really think about it."

"Sure we do. I know that you live with Matsumoto, forget to lock the sides of ladders, suck at Jenga, you put syrup into your pancake batter, and you hate eating alone," Toshiro listed, using his great memory to remember everything that had happened to them in the past 24 hours. "Your turn."

Momo thought for a second. "You live alone, your grandmother is in a retirement home, you like penguins." She stopped as she noticed Toshiro glare at her for bringing up the penguin documentary. "You hate my roommate, and you like to watch me sleep."

"I told you, that was your fault!" Toshiro exclaimed.

"Whatever, it doesn't matter who's fault it was. All that matters is the fact that you like to watch me sleep, which you didn't deny."

"Anyways, we can learn plenty about each other over dinner tonight," Toshiro told her, changing the subject.

"Oh yeah!" Momo cried as though a light bulb had gone off in her head. "I totally forgot about dinner tonight!"

There was silence, before Toshiro reached over and took Momo's hand, dragging her out the door, leaving their tray to be picked up.

"Where are we going, Hitsugaya-kun?" Momo asked.

"You'll see."

**Argh, for some reason I had real trouble writing this chapter! And it sucks because I didn't even proofread it. Anyways, please leave me a review! If you can guess where Toshiro is taking her, then you get to suggest an idea for a future chapter! And no matter what, I'll have to use it cuz… cuz I just will haha. But it's really hard… I doubt you'll guess it. It's not a restaurant, but some other place. Yes, that was a challenge :O **

**~SnowKoyuki13**


	6. Chapter 6

Thank you for your patience with this update! I would like to thank the following for reviewing:** silver ', SMILES208, Ebbie54, talkstoangels77, "_", **and **popcornchicken66. **A special thanks goes out to those of you who have reviewed more than once: **j cloud xD, yumi-2121331, MoonLightView, serenity095, becomeafan, Cherrywood Scarecrows, **and **icyangel27.** No platinum reviewers for this story :(. Please enjoy the chapter!

* * *

Momo followed Toshiro down a few streets, but stopped when they hit a dead end.

"Hitsugaya-kun, have you gotten us lost?" Momo asked, crossing her arms over her chest and looking around at their surroundings. There was an empty construction area to the right, and to the left was a downwards slope covered in trees, bushes, and shrubbery.

Toshiro rolled his eyes. "No, Hinamori, I know exactly where I'm going." He hopped over the waist-high fence and motioned for her to come join him. Momo looked at him skeptically, but sure enough, she walked over and crossed to Toshiro's side.

"Listen, Hinamori." Toshiro looked her straight in the eyes. "If you get lost, start screaming my name. I will come and find you. Got it?"

Momo nodded, and gulped as she cast a fearful glance down the rocky, shrubby hillside. "Hitsugaya-kun, I don't know if I can make it all the way down…"

Toshiro reached out to her, grabbed her hand, and started pulling her towards him. "Relax, so many people do this that there's a beaten trail down the side. See?" He pointed to the thin layer of dirt that was barely showing. "Just don't lose your balance."

"Okay…"

They started cautiously moving downwards, Momo's grip tightening around Toshiro's hand. She could barely see a flat area now, and she was determined to get there. Momo walked forward with more confidence, letting go of Toshiro completely.

"Hinamori, watch out for that branch right-"

Toshiro was cut off by a scream, and then an impact as Momo tripped over the low branch/root thingy and was forced down onto Toshiro. They started rolling down the hill. Toshiro remained silent, too surprised to say anything, but Momo was screaming her head off.

It only took them about five seconds to reach the real trail, which was surrounded by trees on either side. Toshiro had been wearing jeans, so there had been minimal damage to his legs, and only a couple of scratches on his arms. Momo, however, had been wearing shorts and t-shirt, meaning that her body was now covered in cuts and soon-to-be bruises.

"Are you alright?" Momo asked, sitting up and rubbing her head. Toshiro was brushing the dirt off of himself.

"I'm fine. You're the one who's not okay, you're bleeding." He pointed to her arm, where there was blood running down one side. "Stay here, I'll go get something from the drug store." Toshiro got up and began walking back over to the hillside, preparing for the trek up.

"But Hitsugaya-kun!" Momo shouted at him. "Don't leave me alone…what if somebody comes, or if an animal shows up, or-"

Toshiro went back over to her. "It's okay, just get up and run. Can you stand?"

Momo nodded, even though she knew it would hurt to run, she would be able to in an emergency situation. She waved Toshiro off and waited patiently for his return.

"_Come to think of it, it was at a place like this…"_

_

* * *

Flashback_

"_Momo-chan, hurry up!"_

_A five-year-old Momo began to quicken her pace to catch up to the grown woman in front of her. "Mommy, where are we going?"_

_Her mom placed a finger to her lips. "Shh. It's nighttime, you could wake up the animals." The woman became fed up with waiting for the slow child, so she picked Momo up and began to walk faster._

"_But the owls are awake, Mommy."_

"_Shh."_

_Momo did as she was told and remained silent. Her mother kept going faster until she was almost up to a jog. They reached a clearing in the forest and Momo was put down on her favorite blanket._

"_Momo-chan, we're going to play Marco-Polo, okay? Just give me a twenty second head start, okay? You can count to twenty right?"_

"_1…2…3…" Momo began, shutting her eyes. She heard leaves rustling as her mother began walking away._

"_Marco!" She called, keeping her eyes shut. There was no response, so she called out again. "Marco!" Only the sound of the wind through the trees._

"_Marco…?" This time it was more of a question. It took her a second, but she opened her eyes and realized that she was alone._

* * *

Present Time

Momo sighed and brought herself back to her current situation. She wished Toshiro would come soon; she was getting sick of waiting. She wanted to go where they had been meaning to go right that second.

"Hinamori, I'm back with the bandages..." Toshiro said, sliding expertly down the last part of the hill on his feet. He jogged a couple of steps once he hit the bottom, and crouched down to Momo's height.

"Thank you, Toshiro!" Momo exclaimed, grinning broadly up at him. She then muttered, "If I can call you that…"

Toshiro nodded and ripped open the package, pulling out the roll of cotton. "You can call me Toshiro…Momo."

Momo nodded and held out her injured arm and allowed Toshiro to start wrapping the bandage around it. He did so very gently, making sure not to hurt her.

"Hey, can I ask you something, Toshiro?" Momo followed his hands with her eyes

"Anything." Toshiro pulled the cloth a bit too tightly, and watched as Momo cringed. "Sorry." He loosened it, then fastened it securely.

Her eyes remained on his hands as she asked, "Why is it… that you choose to live on your own?" She thought maybe it would be for a similar reason.

Toshiro offered her his hand, and Momo took it, standing and brushing the dirt off of her clothes. "I guess you could say that my parents and I don't agree on several things…"

"I see." Momo knew from experience that it wasn't always easy to share her past with people, and could tell that Toshiro was hesitant to continue.

They walked in silence, until they reached a clearing, where there was a rusty swing set, one of those spinny things that you can hold onto the bar (A/N- Do u know what I mean?) and a metal jungle gym that you could climb on top of.

"A… park?" Momo questioned. Of all the things she had been expecting, this had NOT been one of them.

Toshiro nodded. "I come here a lot to think, since there normally aren't too many people here. I used to go here quite a bit as a kid as well." He grasped her hand and pulled her to the swings.

"Sit." He demanded, pushing her gently down onto the seat. Momo began to swing her legs back and forth to gain momentum. She was soon high above Toshiro's head, but it wasn't long before he was on the seat next to her, making his way up to Momo's height.

"Let's see who can jump the furthest!" the childish girl exclaimed, grinning at the prospect of another challenge for the day.

Toshiro frowned at her. "No way, you just fell down that hill. You could hurt yourself again."

"Please? I swear, I won't get hurt," Momo promised him, lifting her right hand in solidarity, nearly sliding off the swing.

"Fine." He waited until they were in sync, then started counting off.

"1…2…3."

Both of them went flying as the swing came forward, launching them several yards away. Momo was a couple of feet behind Toshiro as she lay on the sand, pouting.

"How do you get so far?" She asked.

Toshiro shrugged.

Momo tapped her chin in thought, before grinning and teasing Toshiro. "Hey, you want to know why I think you got so far?"

"How?"

"Because you're so small." Momo giggled, and didn't notice Toshiro's eyes narrow.

"You're going to regret saying that!" He picked up a handful of sand and threw it at her.

"Hey!" Momo shrieked, brushing the small grains out of her hair.

For the first time- at least, the first time that Momo had seen- Toshiro smiled and started laughing. Not a chuckle, not a snort, but a full-out laugh. He was, in turn, pelted with sand as well.

This resulted in a total sand-fight, until they were both shaking too much with laughter to keep going.

"Truce?" Momo sputtered through her giggles.

Toshiro nodded his head, and slowed his laughter until it was only fast breaths, and then completely gone.

"Hey, Momo."

"Hmm?"

Toshiro blushed and looked down. _"Are you seriously going to say this?" _"Um…would this be considered a… date?"

Momo nodded.

"Oh…then… it's my first one…" Toshiro muttered, making the last part barely audible. Momo wasn't sure if she was meant to hear it or not, but since she was in his presence she assumed so.

Momo reached over and placed her hand over his. "Well, it's the best date _I've_ ever been on before." She assured him, her eyes telling him that she wasn't lying.

He smirked. "And it's not over yet."

**So…I apologize for the late update… Yeah. I didn't particularly like this chapter, but I have a feeling that it may be one of those ones that I look back on and think "Oh, that was actually alright." Sorry if there was something I mentioned previously that was contradicted in this chapter… because I tend to do that a lot. Anywhosies, please leave me a review! More reviews means better chapters! Not necessarily faster…but they make me more motivated, so definitely better. Thanks! BTW, I have this weird obsession with having a chapter in each of my stories relating somehow to Momo's past. This one wasn't quite so... dark as the one in my first HitusHina story... *sweatdrops***

**~SnowKoyuki13 **


	7. Chapter 7

Several Days Later...

"So..." Momo said, standing outside Toshiro's door.

He pursed his lips and looked at the key in his hand. "Well, do you want to come inside?"

Urahara had finally decided to come back from wherever he was and had given Toshiro another key to his apartment.

"Sure," Momo responded. Having never been inside, she was curious as to what it looked like.

It was rather plainly decorated; most of the furniture was either black, white, or made of dark wood.

"Have a seat."

Momo did as told and sat down on a white ottoman.

"Shiro, we need to talk about this."

The white-haired boy nodded and sat down next to her.

"So listen," He began. "I was wondering if you wanted us to keep our current living situation, or if you'd rather we go back to the way it was before."

Momo thought for a second. 'If that was you asking if I would move in with you, then yes, I would like that."

Toshiro gave Momo a hug. "What about Matsumoto? Is she going to have trouble paying the rent by herself?"

Momo shook her head. "Nah, she'll find somebody else who's crazy enough to move in with her. Besides, I think I just might know who..." She thought about the guy that Rangiku hadn't been able to stop talking about for the past month. Momo knew that she had wanted them to live together, but didn't want to ask her to leave.

"So, when should we start moving your stuff?" Toshiro asked.

"Next week, so we'll have it all done by the end of the month. Think you can live without me sleeping next to you for that long?" She teased, resting her forehead against his.

Toshiro rolled his eyes, even though he knew it would be weird to finally be sleeping alone again in his own bed without her in the next room over or next to him.

But it was okay. They had each other, they were together. And it was all because of that chance encounter.

**So don't be mad at me, okay? I know I neglected this story for a long time, and I know I ended it really crappily, but I didn't know where to go! I would have put it on hiatus, but I hate doing that. Please Review and check out my other stories! Thank you reviewers ;D thanks for bearing with me.**  
**~SnowKoyuki13**


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